Ann Elizabeth Wiley

MONONA - Ann E. Wiley, age 81, of Madison, passed away on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019, at Heritage Monona. She was born on Sept. 25, 1937, in Highland Park, IL, the daughter of John and Dorothy (Gephart) McAleer. Ann graduated from Mary D. Bradford High School and earned both a BA and an MS in English from UW Madison. She worked as a Budget Analyst for the State of Wisconsin, retiring in 1999. Once retired, Ann taught English as a Second Language to students in Madison schools. In the early 1960s as an English teacher at Wisconsin Heights High, she ran into trouble with authorities for teaching the novel “Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger. Ann was a founding member of the Friday Noon Lunch Club that lasted for over 40 years. A lifelong Democrat, she volunteered many hours for the Obama campaign. Ann was an avid reader and one of her proudest achievements was teaching her grandson to read at 3 years old. She was dedicated to her golden retrievers and to the Golden Retriever Rescue of Wisconsin (GRRoW). Ann enjoyed summers on Washington Island as that was her “happy place”. Ann is survived by her daughter, Suzanne Elizabeth (Robert) Stapleton; daughter, Laura Katherine (Donald) Wiley-Donohue; grandson, Hunter Stapleton; sisters, Mary Haller and Katherine McAleer; nephew, Jon (Brenda) Haller and niece, E'lise Haller. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother-in-law Roy Haller and her nephew Jeff Haller. Memorials may be made in Ann’s name to Literacy Network of Dane County (litnetwork.org) or Golden Retriever Rescue of Wisconsin (grrow.org). Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com. Gunderson Madison Funeral & Cremation Care 5203 Monona Drive 608-221-5420